User-created list
By KibaTalutah · Updated May 2023
Across 5 pages
of 5
Italian
"lady"
Literally meaning "lady" in Italian, Donna was the perfect ladylike housewife mom name on The Donna Reed Show in the fifties and sixties. And there were plenty of namesakes: Donna was in the Top 10…
Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
"pledged to God"
Lizzie was commonly used as an independent name in the last half of the nineteenth century. Today Lizzie is still one of the most stylish short forms of Elizabeth, but few U.S. parents put it on the…
English, feminine variation of Charles
"free man"
A Caroline abbreviation that was wildly popular with Mom's generation...or Grandma's. At one time it was a name for baby girls born at Christmas . because of its association with Christmas carols.…
Diminutive of Peter
"rock"
Sixties-style short form that sounds cool again -- though the unscrupulous Pete on "Mad Men" is not a character to emulate.
French, diminutive of Jeanne
Relic of a past period of French favorites, out to pasture with Claudette and Paulette.
Short form of David, Hebrew
"beloved"
Dave is the ultimate good guy name, but where father name David is still holding onto a spot in the Top 20, Dave -- widely used as an independent name in the middle of the last century -- dropped off…
See Zac.
Irish
"swarthy"
An old Irish surname that was big in the 1960s, but would be an unexpected choice for a child now.
Hebrew
"deer"
Gentle meaning and bona fide Hebrew history, but feels old-mannish, like Herman and Menashe.
Diminutive of Richard, Frederick
Last cool when Bogie roamed Casablanca.
English, diminutive of James
"supplanter"
Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.
Diminutive of Timothy, Greek
"honoring God"
Tim is a boyish short form occasionally given on its own. There were 37 baby boys named Tim in the US last year, versus over 1700 named Timothy.
English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.
French
"blackbird"
Originally a nickname for someone who loved to sing or whistle, Merle is sleek but gentle, with a hint of great grandpa about it..
French and German
"land brilliant"
Ancient saint's name used for cowardly cartoon lion.
Literary creation from Walking Dead
Tyreese Williams, the Walking Dead character, has brought this name to some attention.
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Kids love Bob the Builder, but do they want to be Bob the Builder? Bob and Bobby have been out of style since the 1960s, but as vintage nickname-names -- Fred, Archie -- come back into vogue, Bob may…
Mitch is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive of Mitchell, which itself began as a surname derived from the name Michael, meaning "who is like God?" in Hebrew. Mitch emerged as a…
Jacqui is a feminine name primarily used as a diminutive or nickname form of Jacqueline, which itself is the feminine version of Jacques, the French form of James. Ultimately deriving from the Hebrew…
